Improvement in folding cots



Inventor:

"' PETERs, PHOTO-'LITHQGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D c C(H. DUNKS. Folding-Got.

Patented Jam-28,1879;

U ITED STATES ATENT Gunmen CHARLES H. DUNKS, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOLDING COTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 211,720, dated January 28, 1879 application filed November 25, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. DUNKs, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Cots and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description of the same, reference being had to the {accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object I have in view is to produce a cot, made principally of wood, which can be folded flat for transportation, will have such a simple and eflicient construction of the legs that they can be folded or opened very conveniently and without the necessity of removing any fastenings, and at the same time will besimple and cheap, and light and strong in construction and my invention therein consists in the peculiar folding legs, pivoted to the side rails, and having spring-braces which work on studs secured to the side rails, as

more fully hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the folding cot arranged for use; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3 a view showing a modified form of the leg.

A A represent the side rails of the cot, and B B the head and foot or end rails. The cot is supported near each end by folding legs 0, the legs at each end being connected near their lower ends by cross-bars a. Each leg 0 is cut down or slotted centrally from the top, form- 1ng two parts, 0 c, the part 0 being pivoted to the side rail and supporting the cot, while the part 0 works over a stud, b, and acts as a brace.

The stud b is placed such a distance from the pivot of the leg that the parts 0 and 0, when the leg is opened down, will be sprung apart, and the brace c has a hooked upper end, which catches on the stud and prevents the leg from being moved farther in that direction. The legs are inclined outwardly when the cot is arranged for use, and the braces being on the inside, the weight on the bed will tend to force the legs outwardly and draw on the braces, which are held by the hooked ends. By this construction the legs can be folded up between the side rails or opened out by simply turning them on their pivots without the necessity of undoing any fastenings, and the spring-braces will hold them in either position.

Instead of having hooked ends, the braces 0 may be provided with notches, Fig. 3, which spring over the studs I) and hold the legs from moving in either direction. With this 0011- struction the legs can be opened at right angles to the cot-frame, if desired.

The wood slat-s D are made somewhat longer than the distance between the end rails, and are curved up at the center and sprung into sockets cut in the end rails from their inner sides. A short distance from each end rail the side rails are connected by cross-bars E, whose upper edges are above the bottoms of the sockets in the end rails. The slats pass over these cross bars, which support them in their curved form, and the tops of the crossbars are rounded, so that the slats can bend. easily upon them. Thus,without the use of spiral springs, an elastic cot-bottom is produced, which will retain its elasticity for a great length of time.

The pivoted head and foot boards F are sup-' ported on metal rods f, which are bent outwardly from the points where they enter the lower edges of the boards, extend down between the side rails, and have their lower ends. bent outwardly and entered in holes in the side rails, to pivot the boards.

The rods f enter the side rails near the end rails, so that they will strike the end rails and support the boards in the proper position.

The head and. foot boards can be folded upon the slats and the legs folded up between the side rails, when it is desired to pack the cot for transportation.

It will be seen that this cot, besides possessing the advantages above named, is very light and strong, and also cheap in construction.

The folding leg above described I intend also to apply to iron or other bedsteads, as well as to cots; and the manner of securing the slats could alsobe used efficiently in bedbottoms without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The wood slats can be easily sprung into the sockets in the end rails, and will remain therein without fastenin gs, and by passing over the two cross-bars they are held in a into two parts,-one of which is pivoted to the curved form throughout their entire length, side rail, and the other forms a spring-brace, so as to give them more elasticity than if substantially as described and shown. curved from one end alone. By having the This specification signed and witnessed this slats thus held they can also be readily re- 25th day of November, 1878.

movedand reversed aftcrtheyhavecommenced CHAS. H. DUNKS. to sag down at the center from use. Witnesses:

What I claim as my invention is- It. N. DYER,

The folding cot-leg divided at its upper end J. A. PAYNE. 

